Q: What are the basic parts of the urinary system?

A: The urinary system is made up of the kidneys, the ureters, the bladder, and the urethra.

Q: What role do the kidneys have in the urinary system?

A: There are two kidneys each about 4 inches long located along side the backbone and below the lungs.

The kidneys are continually filtering the blood and removing waste products from the bloodstream.

They also regulate the amount of salt and water in the blood stream by varying the concentration of the urine.

The kidneys eliminate waste and regulate the salt and fluids by making urine and passing it into the ureters.

Q: What role do ureters have in the urinary system?

A: The ureters are tubes that collect the urine and pass it to the bladder.

At the point where the ureter is attached to the bladder there is a one way valve that lets the urine pass from the ureter to the bladder, but not from the bladder back into the ureter.

Q: What role does the bladder have in the urinary system?

A: The bladder is a muscular sac that when relaxed stores urine and when it contracts pushes the urine into the urethra.

Normally a bladder will hold about 1 and one half cups of urine before it begins feeling pretty full.

Q: What role does the urethra have in the urinary system?

A: The urethra is a tube that runs from the bladder to an opening just above the vagina.

Q: How is the bladder controlled?

A: Control of the bladder and emptying at the desired time is a function of the nerves and spinal cord.

Small nerves run to and from the spinal cord and the bladder.

Some carry information about how full the bladder is.

Others keep the muscles of the bladder wall relaxed.

Still others cause the muscles of the bladder wall to contract.

The balance between these nerves is controlled by connections that run through the spinal cord to the brain.

When a woman feels the bladder needs emptying, she goes to the bathroom and prepares to empty the bladder.

When they are ready the brain sends a signal for the bladder relaxing to stop and the bladder contracting muscle to squeeze.

At the same time the outlet from the bladder to the urethra is relaxed and the urine flows out of the bladder through the urethra.

Q:I have heard about reflexic and arreflexic bladders. What is the difference between arreflexic and reflexic bladder?

A: Women with arreflexic bladders generally have injuries to the nerves that connect the bladder to the spinal cord.

People with reflexic bladders have injuries to the spinal cord itself.

People with arreflexic bladders have fewer options about how to manage the bladder.

They also rarely have problems with bladder sphincter dysynergia.

Your physician will be able to tell you what kind of bladder you have.

Sometimes a test called cystometrics is required to be sure.